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mylittleroom design

The Swiss e-store, My Little Room, has made a selection of their bestselling designer toys for Christmas, which knowitall.ch readers can have delivered free of charge throughout the month of December!

Targeted at children aged 0 to 14, the toys fall into 3 main categories: Design, Eco-friendly or Vintage. Co-founder, Maya Raymond, explained the difference between the toys to knowitall.ch,

"Our Design toys have been selected to please our more design-conscious parents, so the toys can become a feature of a room, rather than untidy, unwanted clutter! With sleek lines, and graphic patterns they include items such as wooden toy houses, colourful maracas, and smooth skittles."

Heidi and James fauteuil Arbor Tom Raffield lampes Swarm Jangir Maddadi tables basses Circus MarloIsaure500

Towards the end of last year, Heidi & James welcomed friends and professionals to the center of Geneva to launch their first collection of contemporary furniture and accessories.

Presenting the work of up-and coming designers based mostly in the UK and Switzerland, Heidi & James fills a gap in the market between very high end (and relatively expensive) furniture pieces and mass produced (generally lower cost) items.

Based in London, but with a strong presence in Switzerland at temporary exhibitions, Heidi & James currently promotes the work of the following designers:

  • And then Design (UK, London)
  • Di Classe (Japan, Tokyo & UK, London)
  • It Design (Switzerland, Zurich)
  • Jangir Maddadi (Sweden, Kalmar)
  • Marlo & Isaure (Switzerland, Geneva/Lausanne (ECAL) & Tunisia, Tunis)
  • Splinter Designs (UK, York)
  • Stilgraf (Switzerland, Zurich)
  • Taz Pollard (UK, Devon)
  • Tom Raffield (UK, Cornwall)

lausannemom parcel

At this time of year, receiving and shipping international parcels by post can be surprisingly stressful, especially if you live in Switzerland. Whilst we all take great pleasure out of sending a carefully chosen gift through the post to family and friends, and yet more pleasure when we receive one, the experience becomes infinitely less enjoyable if you also receive an unexpected  bill for VAT and "handling" to pay at the same time!

However, when you know what to expect and why, then you can start to plan your purchases more prudently, and avoiding unnecessary costs.

Meta Djojosubroto of local blog, Lausanne Mom, has just written an excellent article explaining the whole process in detail and providing some great tips on how to avoid heavy costs when receiving or shipping parcels within Switzerland.

Click here to find out more and read the full article on her popular blog, Lausanne Mom.

genevacakes1

10% discount on website orders placed before end January 2016!

How many times have you planned to make the perfect cake for a special occasion and found, at the last minute, that you are missing something essential? Even when you have had plenty of time to prepare, it can be frustrating trying to find the right cooking implements in the shops, not to mention special ingredients and accessories.

Unless, of course, you have heard of Genevacakes! Established in December 2012 by expat mom, Ana Moraleda, and taken over a year and a half later by long-time customer, Elena Burau, Genevacakes sells a huge range of cake supplies, from licensed Disney fondant discs to technical tools for flower modeling. With more than 1,800 products available, including fondants, colors, aromas, cake pans, and silicon molds, this popular local cake business distributes well-known brands such as Wilton, Renshaw, CK, Culpitt and Rainbow Dust.

Asked how she got into the business of selling cake supplies, Elena told knowitall.ch, "When I learned that Ana was looking for someone to help her continue the Genevacakes' adventure, I was really interested. As a regular customer of the shop, I soon learnt about Ana's plans to sell her business, so we discussed and agreed on a transition, which finished in August 2014."

christmas2015

It's that year of again when we compile a list of Christmas markets for you, and add a few of our own recommendations as well. If you have a favorite fair that you would like us to add, please send us an email with the details, including any flyers for us to post on our Events Calendar.

Christmas markets are a great place to go to get a flavor of the local customs and traditions of this region - and of course to buy unique, hand-crafted products to send as presents to your folks back home.  Most of the markets provide food stalls offering local delicacies, including of course a welcome glass of mulled wine (otherwise known as vin chaud or glühwein).  For the children, there are often many activities organized - and if they're lucky, Santa Claus may make a surprise visit!

Click on the name of the event to see more information on each listing. Since some of the information has been sourced from other websites, we recommend that you verify the time and location of any events that interest you before you set out – just in case the dates have changed.